Draft attachment for vehicles.



No. 694,65l. Patented Mar. 4, I902. H. KUGLER.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.

(Application filed Aug. as, 1901.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY KUGLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES.-

SPECIFIGA'IION forming part of- Letters Patent N 0. 694,651, dated March 4, 1902.

Application fil d August 5, 1901. Serial No. 10,943. (No model.)

cles, of which the following is a full, clear, and

exact specification.

My invention relates more particularly to draft attachments for two-horse vehicles employing a tongue; and it has for its primary object to provide means for preventing the" tongue from rearing when the vehicle is backed.

It also has for its object to provide means for supporting the tongue when the draftanimals are unhitched.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain features of novelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts by which the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearing are attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a sideelevation of a-vehicle or wagon equipped with myimprovements. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional View taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the connection between the two members of the supplementary tongue hereinafter described.

In the example of my invention shown in the drawings the-Wagoner vehicle illustrated is of that type in which the forward end of the body 1 is supported upon a bolster 2,whicl1 in turn is pivotally supported upon the front axle 3 by means of a fifth-wheel 4, the main tongue 5 being secured to the forward axle in any suitable manner. This main tongue,however, is considerably shorter than theusual tongue, and. it is provided at its outer end with any suitable sliding connection with an auxiliary tongue member 6. As shown in Fig. 3, this connection consists of a ferrule 7, which is secured on the tongue 5 in any suitable way and is provided with a tongue 8, to which is secured an eye 9, through which the auxiliary tongue member 6 passes. The tongue member 6 is provided at its outer end with an eye 10, whereby the hame-chains 11 may be secured thereto, or any other means may be employed, whereby the outer end of the auxiliary tongue member may be connected to the hames in the manner of connecting the end of an ordinary tongue to the hames, whereby the draft-animals may apply power to the tongue for backing the vehicle. The member 6 is preferably composed of a comparativelysmall rod, so that the eye 9 may be of convenient size, and in order that the member 6 may have the requisite strength it is composed of iron or metal, and inasmuch as the balance of the auxiliary tongue need not be thus reduced in diameter it may be constituted by a wooden member 12, secured to the member 6 at its outer end by means of a thimble 13, formed on the inner end of the member 6 and fitting over the member 12,suitable bolts or rivets 14 being passed through the thimble and member 12. The inner end of the auxiliary tongue member 12 is pivotally secured to some part of the wagon which does not turn with the forward axle 3.' In a wagon of this type it is found convenient to attach the member 12 to the bolster 2 by means of a bracket 15, to which the tongue member 12'is pivoted by means of pin 16, the end of member 12 being bifurcated, so as to embrace the bracket, as shown in Fig. 1. This connection 15 16, however, is hardly suflicient in ordinary cases for preventing the auxiliary tongue from rearing upwardly when the team is backed, and consequently the auxiliary tongue is provided with another point of attachment with the wagonbody or some part of the wagon which does not turn with the axletree at a point above and considerably removed from the bracket 15. In order to accomplish this, the wagon-body may be conveniently provided with a second bracket 1.7, located directly over the bracket 15 and having a downturned end 18 of a brace 19 pivoted therein directly in line with the pin 16, the forward end of the brace 19 being carried down and secured to the tongue member 12. Thus it will be seen that the tongue member 12, with its brace 19, will swing or turn on the two pivotal points 16 18 as though on one vertical pivot, and as the auxiliary tongue is thus turned for turning the forward axle by power applied laterally to the outer end of the tongue member 6 the eye 9 will, relatively speaking, slide back and forth on the memher 6, while at the same time imparting the oscillation of the latter to the main tongue 5.

\Vith a draft attachment thus constructed it will be seen that the auxiliary tongue,with its brace 19, will stand in a horizontal position at all times and will rigidly resist both downward and upward movements of the main tongue 5, and consequently when the team is backed the power of the draft-animals will be applied to the vehicle in a direct horizontal line and not in a downwarddirection,increasing the weight on the front wheels, as heretofore.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ist 1. In a device for the purpose described,the combination of a vehicle provided with a draft attachment proper, an auxiliary draft attachment having sliding connection with said draft attachment proper and provided with means for attachment to the draft-animals at its outer end, the inner end of said auxiliary draft attachment being pivotally connected to the vehicle on a vertical axis out of line with the pivotal connection of the draft attachment proper with the vehicle,substan'tially as set forth.

2. In adevice for the purpose described, the combination of a vehicle proper with a turning axle and a draft attachment proper connected therewith, an auxiliary draft attachment held against vertical movement and pivotally connected with a part of the vehicle which does not turn with said axle, on avertical axis, and means for operatively connecting said auxiliary draft attachment with said draft attachment proper, substantially as set forth.

3. In a device for the purpose described, the combination of a vehicle having a tongue pivotally connected therewith, an eye carried by said tongue, an auxiliary tongue passing through said eye and continued upwardly beyond the end of said first tongue, and provided with means for attachment to the draftanimals, and means pivotally connecting the inner end of said auxiliary tongue with a rigid part of the vehicle on a vertical axis, substantially as set forth.

4. In a device for the purpose described, the combination of a vehicle having a turning axle, a tongue connected therewith, an auxiliary tongue pivoted to a part of the vehicle which does not turn with said axle, on a Vertical axis, out of line with the pivot of said axle, means for slidably connecting said tongues together, and a brace secured to said auxiliary tongue and pivotally connected with the vehicle on an axis in line with the pivot of said auxiliary tongue, substantially as set forth.

HENRY KUGLER.

\Vitnesses:

J NO. G. ELLIOTT, W. D. Caoss. 

